I think there was an idea during development that the player to be rid of or kill certain companions, so you could kill guys like Skadge, Quinn, or Vik. But the developers changed their minds, so in the initial game, you can't get rid of any of your companions.

I think there was an idea during development that the player to be rid of or kill certain companions, so you could kill guys like Skadge, Quinn, or Vik. But the developers changed their minds, so in the initial game, you can't get rid of any of your companions.

It wasn't, as I heard it, so much that they changed their minds (which could be "out of nowhere", as it were). What happened was that whiny idiots complained that they had killed their companions and caused themselves problems as a result (Example: the aforementioned Quinn was the SW's healer companion...) and so Bioware made it impossible.

Whence, also, I suspect, the perceived contrast between "Consequences matter" coming from Bioware about KotFE, versus what actually changes in the KotFE storyline if you choose different options. Consequences have to matter because they were rightly criticised for that in the main stories, but they can't matter very much, or all the whiny brats will jump up and down and stamp their feet(1) and hold their breath until they ...

Sorry, I digress...

(1) A few years back, I was in the McDonalds in the Gare Lille Flandres (main central rail station) in Lille, France, and there was this woman there with her 2-3 year old daughter. And the said daughter threw the most EPIC classic cliché two-year-old's temper tantrum complete with stamping her foot and everything. Mother was not moved, and I forbore to applaud and say "Bravo!" - I thought that the mother would not have appreciated it.

It wasn't, as I heard it, so much that they changed their minds (which could be "out of nowhere", as it were). What happened was that whiny idiots complained that they had killed their companions and caused themselves problems as a result (Example: the aforementioned Quinn was the SW's healer companion...) and so Bioware made it impossible.

Whence, also, I suspect, the perceived contrast between "Consequences matter" coming from Bioware about KotFE, versus what actually changes in the KotFE storyline if you choose different options. Consequences have to matter because they were rightly criticised for that in the main stories, but they can't matter very much, or all the whiny brats will jump up and down and stamp their feet(1) and hold their breath until they ...

I don't think that's really a fair way to put it. The issue is that companions were too closely tied to important gameplay mechanics. Had companions been independent of important gameplay, they probably would have left the companion death in. Note that they brought the concept in a limited capacity in KOTFE content, where you're overloaded with a boatload more companions than you'll ever need.

The mechanic reasons that come to mind are:
- roles (healing, etc., which is now simplified with 4.0)
- crew skills (having six is pretty important if you want to do crafting at maximum efficiency)

As there is no way to get more than six in the vanilla game, it makes sense that they wouldn't want people killing their crafting options inadvertently. The same goes for roles, prior to 4.0.

I think in this case you're overestimating the power of complaining and underestimating the power of a dev team realizing "oops, this is a good point" and correcting a mistake.

I would theorize, in fact, that companion death was sketched out in development before things like crew skills and companion roles were finalized. Or it was done by two different teams, who weren't communicating well. The idea of knowingly mixing the two worlds, from a game development standpoint, just doesn't make sense. It makes sense for the consequences to be felt in story, but not in something so integral to long-term gameplay.

I don't think that's really a fair way to put it. The issue is that companions were too closely tied to important gameplay mechanics. Had companions been independent of important gameplay, they probably would have left the companion death in. Note that they brought the concept in a limited capacity in KOTFE content, where you're overloaded with a boatload more companions than you'll ever need.

The mechanic reasons that come to mind are:
- roles (healing, etc., which is now simplified with 4.0)
- crew skills (having six is pretty important if you want to do crafting at maximum efficiency)

As there is no way to get more than six in the vanilla game, it makes sense that they wouldn't want people killing their crafting options inadvertently. The same goes for roles, prior to 4.0.

I think in this case you're overestimating the power of complaining and underestimating the power of a dev team realizing "oops, this is a good point" and correcting a mistake.

I would theorize, in fact, that companion death was sketched out in development before things like crew skills and companion roles were finalized. Or it was done by two different teams, who weren't communicating well. The idea of knowingly mixing the two worlds, from a game development standpoint, just doesn't make sense. It makes sense for the consequences to be felt in story, but not in something so integral to long-term gameplay.

This is what happened...

In beta testing, killing companions in vanilla was possible

players killed companions

players realized that they gimped themselves for killing companions (roles, and crew skills being the biggest areas)

players wanted their companions back

players "threw a tantrum"

BW removed the ability to kill companions

Whether the last bit was an "oops, that's a good point" revelation or "holy **** we are going to catch hell for this. Let's head it off at the pass." reaction is debatable, but it was the players' tantrum that caused the change.

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The statements and opinions expressed on these websites are solely those of their respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views, nor are they endorsed by Bioware, LucasArts, and its licensors do not guarantee the accuracy of, and are in no way responsible for any content on these websites.